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EPISODE FIVE: Greg J. Cuoio Park in Lacey · Talk Thurston to Me

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Talk Thurston to me, where we explore the people, places, stories, and experiences that make Thurston County an unforgettable place to visit.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Nicole with Experience Olympia and Beyond, and today we're talking about a brand new place to explore in Lacey, the Greg Cuyo Park.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now, even though the park itself is new, the story behind it isn't.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is a project that has been years in the making, and there's a lot more to it than simply opening a new park.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: So joining me today to tell us all about it is Jen Burbage, Director of Parks, Culture and Recreation for the City of Lacey.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: Jen, welcome to Talk Thurston to me.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited you're here with me.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you so much.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I feel we have to start at the beginning because there's quite a bit of history behind this project.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: For someone who may not be familiar with Greg Cuyo Park, can you introduce us to the park and share a little bit about how it came to be?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, sure thing.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Greg Cuyo Park is the city's newest and now biggest park.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's located at 2711 Carpenter Road.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's between Britton Parkway and Hawks Prairie Road on Carpenter, just in case anyone needs help finding it.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: We just opened the very first phase of the park, and it's phase 1A, and that consists of 139 acres.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now the greater space of park adjacent properties is 537 acres.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: But obviously that's a really big undertaking.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And since we really are starting from scratch at this particular site, we had been able to break it off into that portion of a size.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: But the opening of this park in this particular location is the culmination of 24 years of long-term planning, property acquisition, funding strategy, and then community engagement finally up to the construction effort.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: So going back in time, between 2002 and 2012, the city acquired the adjacent park properties that I was just referring to.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So that includes Grey Cuillo Park, Pleasant Glade Park, and then some people are familiar with the Palm Creek headwaters.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: So all of those portions make up the Grey Cuillo Park and Greenways.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then in 2021 and 2022, the city was able to complete a long-awaited long-term planning effort with the community, and that was the master plan.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so since the properties are all right next to each other, it made sense to plan the whole space with the community to see what they wanted in their public space.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So determining the most respectful way to provide access and connectivity between these public lands, it's a really natural area, and we needed to provide a unique balanced opportunities to the public.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And finally in 2023, City Council was able to approve the funds to be able to move forward with this phase of design and construction.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: We broke ground in early 2025, and construction took about 16 months to complete.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we did a soft opening in the end of July this past summer.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then, gosh, just this last Thursday evening, we did our official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of in a nutshell, this long-term project.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: No, definitely.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like all your hard work has definitely paid off.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think, like we were just talking before this, that your grand opening, it was an amazing experience, but also the weather was on your side and they let you have the actual event, and then it rained after.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: We were kind of chuckling because we had Sweet Leaf's ice cream truck out there.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we had free ice cream and lots of fun games for the kiddos to play.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we kept watching the weather report, and the the rain kept moving later and later, and sure enough, we cut that ribbon.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: People started to kind of leave the park because it was starting to get dark as well, and then the rains came in.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we they knew it was coming.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily, we had good weather.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: It was a beautiful ceremony.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: We had so many people there that have been involved over the years, and folks that helped us with our funding, like the family of the late Senator Hunt was able to come out.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And Senator Hunt was really instrumental in supporting the great outdoors and helping us get funds with an appropriation, a$550,000 contribution.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Then the Recreation and Conservation Office for Washington State was able to come out as well.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And they had provided funding for acquisition many, many years ago.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then most recently, we were able to get a$500,000 grant through their office.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: So that's about a million dollars in funding to help the city pay for this space.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: But also Greg himself was there to speak.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: So that was awesome.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: That was neat.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we had city council members and park board members and lots of families and kids.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: So it was it was great fun, very, very exciting milestone for Lacey, I will say.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: And as you mentioned, there is, of course, a person behind this name.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: So are you able to tell us more about who Greg Cuyo is?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: What's the connection between him, this land, and the park, and what people are now going to get to experience?
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Greg Cuyo is a former city manager.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And at the time he was city manager and he was there for a long time, 23 years with the city, and had retired at the end of 2011.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: But he was instrumental in negotiating and securing the purchase of the Greg Cuyo Park parcels.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so at the time of purchase, they were on the market as the result of foreclosure.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: A developer had already platted the parcels on the main portion of the park that's already been cleared because there's a lot of, I mentioned a lot of natural space, forested areas and wetlands.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: But there was one parcel that had been pretty much cleared and platted and ready for 313 homes.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: There was a preliminary plat approval.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then there were other developers who were interested in it acquiring this site for development.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: But the city was able to acquire them and in doing that preserve the space for future park use.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that was thanks to Greg Cuyo and other staff at the time, right?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: The parks director at the time was Jim Scheler as well, was also instrumental with that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, Greg was able to speak at the grand opening, and it was really neat to hear him talk about just that long-term vision of how important parks are and to be able to preserve this natural space.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's your legacy project because so many people will be out there enjoying the space, especially as the areas around it get developed up.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: It used to kind of feel like it was out in the country, but now there's a lot of development happening out there.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's really neat, particularly with the high-density housing for people to have space to go to and access.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: And what a wonderful and great space for Lacey into the future.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome that he was able to come out there and it just shows his dedication to the project that he started.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, after all of the planning and work that went into getting there, what was it like to finally see people using the park?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: It was really exciting.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Myself and our senior parks planner, Jenny Wilson, we ended up the first week after opening the gates, we ended up being out on site.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: We weren't there all day, but we covered several hours each day between the two of us.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it was really cool.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: People were so grateful, and people had told us they had been driving by every day.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, when is the park gonna open?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: We were a little late opening it.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: We had hoped that it would open at the beginning of the summer, but there were some construction items that we had to finish up.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so people were watching and they were very excited, and it was just really special.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how else to describe it, of just people coming up and saying how appreciative they were of this space being preserved and being opened up to the public.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: There were kids on the playground.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: It was packed all summer.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: The playground was just full, and people were setting off into the woods on the trails, and then people having birthday parties and picnics in the big picnic shelter.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think the best thing from my standpoint was just hearing all the good feedback because we're not always out in the parks talking to people.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: We would like to be more, but we're obviously not always out there.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so it was really very special to be out on site and to hear all the great feedback and just how excited people were.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's the most excitement I've seen in the 10 years that I've been here with Lacey Parks.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's testimony to all of you guys' hard work, you and your team, you know, working from the ground up.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And now you see it come to life.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I personally have taken my kids over to the park and they absolutely loved it.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: We went on a very hot day.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: It was completely packed, but they've been begging me to go back since we've been there.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I can tell you thank you as well for creating this space for people to bring their families, their loved ones to go and share in this experience there.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the cutest thing I have to tell you, every time I'm out there, I see kids crying when the parents are trying to get them to leave.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And at first, when I was out there the first week, I was like, oh no, somebody's injured.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: I could hear, you know, crying and people carrying their kids, and and their the parents were like, no, we're they're just crying because they don't want to leave.
• 9:42
  unknown: I was like, okay, good.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: So that was like, oh no, do I have to help?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: But it is just shows that they don't want to leave the place that you guys have created.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's something.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I promise we'll come back.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Something I find really interesting when learning about the park is just how much of this project is about the natural environment, too.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you've touched base on that.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So when you're creating a park like this, how do you balance giving people places to play, walk, and explore while also protecting the forests, wetland, wildlife habitat, and everything that's already there?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, good question.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: What was really great about this project and our landscape architect consultants, HPB landscape architects, helped us work through this is really determining what the guiding principles are for the project and what types of programming that the public wants.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: So we were able to do several different surveys and also had open houses for the public to be able to come and talk about the project and really learn about the unique natural environment in this space.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so they helped us come up with guiding principles, and on that list were protecting the natural environment, having cost-effective lower maintenance type things in the park to help with the financial long-term sustainability.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: They wanted to see new activities, they wanted to see inclusion in the design elements and then ease of access and circulation.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: They also wanted to ensure safety and security.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: But very high on the list was protection of the natural areas.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: So the programming elements that were decided with the master planning process were walking and biking trails with different surfaces, picnicking and lawn games.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: They wanted playgrounds, eventually gardens, passive recreation, more nature viewing.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: They wanted education and community space, events and disc golf.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: So what we then were able to do is determine which of those elements could be incorporated into this first phase.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Through some of the discussions, I remember the public did not feel that more sports fields were needed in this location because we have so many sports elements in our other parks sites.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: They did think that if it's sports, it's more like the disc golf that can share trails with walkers and bicyclers.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it's more cross-country trails and course versus like pickleball or basketball courts, you know, that sort of thing.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the public really did help us decide that.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the park property, I know I mentioned there's a lot of natural areas.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: There are actually 50-ish acres of mapped wetlands and approximately 9,000 linear feet of tributaries and creeks that flow through the site with all of those the 537 acres.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: So the existing creeks include Fox Creek, Palm Creek, Eagle Creek, and Jorgensen Creeks, which are all tributaries to Woodland Creek.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: That takes a lot of work on your end.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: And as we've said before, it's taken years for this to come to fruition.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: And now that it is, it's really amazing to see all of those come to play.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And when someone spends time here at the park, what do you hope they'll walk away appreciating about the space?
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that they just appreciate the natural space just to explore.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: So there's not a lot of things that are programmed.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully they take away a sense of adventure.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully they have benefited from being out in the forest.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's benefits of actually even just sitting in a forest, not even walking.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And hopefully they just had a fun time and they learned something new.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think those are the main takeaways, I would hope.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: And this is another thing I think is important for the people to know is that even though we're talking about this new park, it isn't the finished product.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: So what are we seeing today, and what can people look forward to as the larger vision for the Greg Cuyo Park continues to come together?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what we're seeing today is we have 75 parking spaces, we have a large picnic shelter, there are 18 holes of disc golf.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: The disc golf course is under development through a partnership with the South Peace Sound Disc Golf Association, and so it's in progress.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're looking for disc golfers from all over to come out and try it out and give your feedback to the South Peace Sound Disc Golf Association.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's also approximately three miles of walking trails.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's a quarter mile paved loop around the picnic shelter.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you'd like to get a little more adventurous, there's soft surface and gravel trails out into the forest.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Then, of course, the playground that we've talked about.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: So those are the only programmed elements that are currently out there, but plenty of space for adventuring.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Next will come phase 1B, and that will need to include restrooms, which isn't something that we currently have.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also be doing frontage improvements for Carpenter Road, and we'll have some landscaping with actual irrigation in the park.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one thing that you're going to notice at the park right now is that the grass is going to turn brown during the hot weather months, and that's just because we don't have irrigation out there.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: It also will conserve water, and so that's a highlight as well, a benefit.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: But in the future, in addition to those items that I just mentioned, we've already talked about the cross-country course that I mentioned earlier to be able to hold regional meets there.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: There's also space for a dog park in five acres of the space.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: We also have heard a lot of feedback for a playground zip line.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so that would be an addition to the playground.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then kind of further off in the future, and these items are all pending funding.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: We don't currently have a funding plan for those.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: But highlights for future plans, if you really want to read the master plan and see what that kind of balcony view brings in.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Something that's really neat is a suspension bridge over Woodland Creek to Creek that would connect Grey Cuyo Park to Pleasant Glade Park.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have 18 more holes of disc golf planned for Pleasant Glade Park.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you could do your rounds of disc golf, the 18 holes, and then cross the suspension bridge.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And this bridge will provide a great viewing area for the salmon that come through each fall.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Another unique thing is that there's actually park space on the east side of Carpenter Road.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: So in the future, we would like to connect those two sides with a pedestrian bridge going over Carpenter Road.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: There's also space for a food forest.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's a type of community garden.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: There's a space for an environmental learning center if the city can connect with the right partner to bring that to fruition in a future phase.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's amazing.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, just alone 1A has you guys came out with a lot, you came out with a whole platter, and then now you want to add all these additional plans, getting the input from the community and really trying to make it one of the best experiences that Lacey has to offer.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Just thinking about, I think I may need to go back and take my kids again as you guys are building on these different phases.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm just truly me and I believe the community are gonna be super excited to see it all come to life.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: So a big reason we created Talk Thirst Syntomy is to help the frontline hospitality professionals who interact with our visitors every day learn more about what there is to experience here.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if someone visiting Lacey only had a couple of hours, who would you recommend Greg Cuyo Park to and what would you tell them not to miss?
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: I would recommend the park to families with young children, just like we've talked about.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's a pretty unique playground.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's very large and it has a nature theme to it that was selected by the public as well.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: The big tree house.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think the kiddos would have a lot of fun.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: I would also recommend to disc golfers since the course is currently in progress, like I said before, and we're looking for feedback.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, especially disc golfers who have golfed around the state and are experienced, we want to make sure and get their feedback.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that they would take away that it's a very unique course.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: It has all the elements of a very competitive course because it has meadow play and forest play, and so it's a unique course for the area.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: I would also recommend to bird watchers.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: There are about 40 species in the area, bird species.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I think their takeaway might be they could see one that they haven't seen on their list before.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's a new visitor's dream to just get to experience this whole new place while it's new in the area as well.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that it's going to be one of the top places to visit here in Lacey.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's great that we're able to have this conversation and give our frontliners a little more in-depth story of how the park came to be.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And since I have the director of parks, culture and recreation sitting here with me, I feel like I can't let you leave without asking you this one.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Outside of the Garacuyo Park, where's one place in Lacey that you think visitors should experience while they're here?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think that they should go to the Lacey Museum.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: We've been there since January of this year, and we did our grand opening in May.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's at the Belltown Center on Sixth Avenue, and so that's kind of the core area of Lacey.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really fun space to visit to go learn about Lacey's history.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: We not only have exhibits that remain for a little bit of time, but we also have our traveling exhibits or exhibits that are up for only a shorter amount of time.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: We've got lots of friendly staff and volunteers that can help.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I would pick Lacey Museum.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: I need to add that one to my list.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: As I said, I'm so new here, so adding more places to my list is always on my radar.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: But all right, Jen, before I let you go, we have one last question.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: We talked about the park, the people behind it, and a little about what makes this community special.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to give you the final word.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Finish this sentence for me.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thurston County is Thurston County is just an amazing place to discover and experience the great outdoors.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Between all the trails that connect through Thurston County, there's a lot of opportunities for bicycling and light hiking.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: You got water sports at your fingertips.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: Lacey parks are phenomenal, but so are Tumwater and Olympia parks, Thurston County Parks.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's some state parks in Thurston County, and it's just a beautiful area to be outside and to experience, even in the rain.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: Especially.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: They gotta be ready for that, for that weather.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, ready for the weather and just um getting out for help and wellness, just getting outside.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: And what a beautiful area.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes those of us that have been here a long time forget how lucky we are.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so we need someone new to the area to remind us how beautiful and wonderful these great outdoor spaces are.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Jen, for joining me and giving us a look at not only what people can experience at the Greg Cuyo Park, but also the story behind how it came to be.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: And now we've talked about it, and I think it's only fair that everyone goes out and experiences it for themselves.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can find Greg Cuyo Park at 2711 Carpenter Road, Northeast in Lacey.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: And before you head out, you can also find more information about the park through the City of Lacey Parks Culture and Recreation website.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: And while you're planning your next Thurston County adventure, head over to experienceolympia.com and meet Ollie Baigali, your guide to even more places to go, things to do, and adventures to discover throughout Thurston County.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes the best adventures aren't the ones you plan, they're the ones you discover.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: And until next time,